Dandelion our beautiful guinea pig

Jan 21, 2024
Dandelion
2019 – December, 2023

Dandelion passed away.
I tucked in the Guinea Pigs last night and I felt the hole that her absence has left behind.
Dandelion may be little but she was one of the most cherished animals at the farm.  There was not a lot of chatter from Marigold and Poppy last night.  They too are missing their sister.  

Our littles are easy to fall in love with and are a huge part of our healing programs.  And a huge favourite with our volunteers. I think back to the time that Dandelion and her two sisters arrived at the farm with a grandmother with a heartwarming story (see below).

I’ll never forget the father of the girl who had the Guinea pigs sent me a message that he was upset we had changed their names. We never would have changed them if we didn’t think it was important.  We were running children’s programs at the time and had several young volunteers. As we got to know Coco, Raven and Rosie we decided to change their names to suit them better.    

We are planning a memorial garden at the farm, we just don’t know where it will be right now.  In the meantime, Dandelion, is being cremated and will find her final resting place in the future garden.   

In various cultures, dandelions have been associated with magic, wishes, and the granting of desires. Folklore suggests that when you blow on a dandelion puff, your dreams and wishes will be carried on the wind, eventually coming true. This enchanting belief has made dandelions a symbol of hope and the power to manifest our deepest desires.

Dandelions have also made their mark in literature, often symbolizing innocence, childhood memories, and the passage of time. Authors have used these flowers as a metaphor for life’s fleeting nature, urging readers to appreciate the beauty in every moment. 

Here is their story from the grandmother
The three little Guinea Pigs were purchased from a pet store by my grand daughters mother. After a bad separation from her husband.  The mother thought that it would help her daughter and her siblings focus on the pets and not be so distraught over having to move out of the home and away from their father. 

The Guinea Pigs were born and purchased together and have never been apart from each other. They were named by each child. The names are Coco, Rosie and Raven. When the pets were purchased the kids agreed that they all would help out with the chores of keeping the pets clean and healthy. Only after a few weeks, the other two kids had no interest in the pets and left the
care to my granddaughter that showed the most love for them. 

The little girl was 10 when the pigs were bought and she kept them in a cage
in her room, taking them out once in awhile to play with them.  She would go away ever second weekend to visit her father from Friday-Sunday the whole time the pigs would be left unattended. She had a hard time
keeping up with the cleaning of the cage and so the pigs would go far to long without a clean environment to live.  The mothers rent was going to increase and so she had to move. The new home is a bit bigger and the mother 
was going to put the pets in the basement so they would have more room.  She didn’t think it was going to be a problem taking the pets with them but found out while moving some items on the weekend that she was not
allowed to have pets in the new home. The mother tried to take the pets back to the store that they were purchased at but the store would not take them because they were too  big now.
The SPCA would most likely put them down and were not accepting any more pets at this time. My granddaughter heard that if we tried to sell them online that it was very possible they might be used as food for snakes. She was so upset of the fact that she could not keep them any longer and feared they would killed or harmed.

I started looking on the internet and also talked to a co-worker and told her my story. I asked her what she thought about Kindred Farm. She told me that she used to volunteer there and how great of a place it was. 
Kindred Farm was close by my home and seemed to be a perfect place to take these poor pets. I showed my granddaughter the web page and the pictures of the animals being loved and taken good care of there. 
That was how we were able to settle her down and convince her to let me take the pets from her without too much more trauma. 
 
I am so very grateful that I was able to take them to a place where the people didn’t judge me and understood my situation being a loving Nana who was trying hard to find a good place for these poor little animals and calm my granddaughter.

The stress that all the family was going thru was so intense and now we are able to settle down knowing that the pets
are in good care and will have a better life. 
I can’t thank Kindred Farm enough for there understanding and compassion in this situation.